Dragon in the Mountain
by EJR HorseLady
Summary: When a dragon is rumored to be threatening the demon realm, Estarossa accompanies Meliodas to find it... and the two brothers end up in a naked, dragon-chasing, phoenix-shrieking, goddess-battling mess.


Disclaimer: Seven Deadly Sins also known as Nanatsu No Taizai is not mine and I make no profit off of this.

Summary: When a dragon is rumored to be threatening the demon realm, Estarossa accompanies Meliodas to find it... and the two brothers end up in a naked dragon-chasing, phoenix-shrieking, goddess-battling mess.

Greetings all. I have not written anything on this site for years. However I have fallen madly in love with 7DS/NNT, and coffin-of-eternal-darkness was so kind as to draw the wonderful cover for me in response to my prompt of Meliodas wearing nothing but his darkness, that I decided to dust off my writing skills and write a little thank you. Seriously go check out her Tumblr account: coffin-of-eternal-darkness it ROCKS!

Also a special shout out to lickitysplit for being the best beta reader I have EVER had. Many thanks.

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 **Dragon in the Mountain**

His brother was in a foul mood, storming through the castle with a deep scowl and snapping at random people for perceived slights. Word had spread quickly about the mood the General was in and servants were quick to dodge out of the way and avert their eyes lest they inadvertently draw attention to themselves from the storming prince.

 _A far cry from his usual apathy_ , Estarossa mused as he trotted down the castle hall to catch up to his elder brother, who was just exiting the door into the inner courtyard. Indeed, no one was quite sure what had brought about this show of temper; rumours currently ranged from simple things like a bad day or receiving bad news, all the way up to a forced mating to produce an heir.

Estarossa had scoffed at the last one. No one could MAKE his brother do anything, and he very much doubted that even their father had the power to make Meliodas take a woman not to his liking to his bed. He would rather abstain then indulge if the woman was not to his standards. Even if Estarossa often found his brother's partners of choice left something to be desired in his own mind.

Squinting his eyes against the sudden sunlight as he moved from dim castle hall to bright courtyard, Estarossa could see that his target had already crossed the open space and was making his way into the inner gatehouse, now breaking into a run in an effort to catch his quick brother before he left the outer wall.

Entering the gatehouse and nearly getting run over by a spooked donkey pulling a cart, his brother's doing no doubt, Estarossa quickly sidestepped and then bolted through the barbican into the outer courtyard. _For someone with such tiny legs he sure moves fast_ , Estarossa thought to himself as he paused and looked around quickly for his target. Sure enough Meliodas had already crossed the outer courtyard, and he could just see the white tail of the longcoat his brother wore disappear through the archway of the outer gatehouse with a flutter.

Launching into a full-out sprint, Estarossa crossed the distance and entered the outer gatehouse, only to pull up short. His brother had apparently stopped just inside the entryway to turn to wait for him.

"What?!" Meliodas snarled out, eyes glaring and face set in a scowl.

Estarossa took a delicate step back, as he really had come to a sudden halt rather close to the upset demon. "I have no desire to be here when Zeldris throws his tantrum over not being chosen to hunt for the dragon," he said plainly.

After a tense moment of silence Meliodas scoffed dismissively and turned away to continue through the gatehouse into the outer barbican, spooking yet another animal, a horse this time, then out of the castle proper completely. Estarossa relaxed and followed; that was not a _no_ to his presence.

It wasn't until they were far from the castle and it had gone from early morning to approaching midday before Estarossa decided to speak. "Where are we going?" There. A nice safe topic that shouldn't raise his brother's ire any further.

Meliodas, after giving a long side glance, relented and slowed his pace somewhat so they could walk closer and more easily talk. "The information about the dragon is odd."

Estarossa blinked. This was not a topic he was expecting, however... "How so?" he asked, thinking back over the information that the scouts had given last night.

A scouting party had returned and with them came tales of a 'Giant Dragon'. One could hear the title as it was being said. Aside from the size, which Estarossa seriously thought to be exaggerated, everything else had sounded like a regular dragon. Large, aggressive, making its home on a mountain filled with various nooks and crevices in which to hide or lay eggs, with plenty of prey around. Really the only thing that sounded off to Estarossa was that no one had noticed it sooner as it was located rather close to the castle.

The demon castle lay in a valley at the base of two huge mountains. Its huge expanse served as both a home for demons and as a military base, since it was under those mountains that the permanent gate to the demon realm was located. The two rocky outcrops closest to the castle served as a flagstone of sort. Beyond that were vast grey mountains that dotted the landscape as far as the eye could see. Most people when they thought about the demon owned land thought only of those vast rocky slopes and how barren the land was.

It was not true. While, yes, the nearest sight was a wall of grey topped with snow, there were many valleys and rivers that supported a variety of lifeforms scattered amongst the cliffs. The demon castle being located in the strath below the first two mountains meant that they enjoyed the runoff for clean water. Also not having to worry about importing water one could bathe as often as one would like, a boon to those demons with a sensitive nose. The river had been used as a moat around most of the outer wall, and various flora and fauna was attracted to the flowing water. Estarossa had spent many a day sitting on top of the outer wall just watching the animals come and go. However there was one animal in the area that was not so welcome. Dragons inhabited the ridged expanse.

Because of its importance, a large area around the castle had been cleared of any threats that might one day cause trouble and attack. Parties regularly went off for both training and scouting to make sure that no dragon had taken up residence too close, and if they had then that dragon was to be eliminated.

"The party that set out was young, inexperienced. They would stay only in the well known parts of the hills and valleys. They may have seen the dragon from a distance, however the fact that one showed up in such a well travelled area is alarming. That it is so large is cause for concern as well." Meliodas explained this as he scanned the hills around them with a keen eye.

The grey haired demon blinked in surprise. "You're taking the descriptions of its size seriously then?" he asked, trying to get a feel for the other's thoughts. "I admit it may be larger than normal but I doubt it's eye is 'so large the Giant King Drole could stretch out and still not touch the edges'. I thought the scouts were exaggerating."

"The novices I could believe exaggerated the truth, not Vesuvius. He is too seasoned to allow such a thing." Meliodas furrowed his brow and continued, "It is rare for dragons to get so large. Most often they live for four to six hundred years before they die for one reason or another; however on rare occasions they survive and keep growing, becoming massive in size."

"I didn't know that about dragons. Have you ever seen one so large?" he asked, hoping to get his elder brother to share some of his worldly knowledge. When Meliodas opened up and started teaching, Estarossa found he always learned more than anything his childhood tutors had ever taught him, and had more fun learning too. Sadly it was a rare day that such an event happened, but Estarossa looked forward to them nonetheless.

"Once. I was very young, you were not even a thought at the time. Mother went to the coast with a group of friends and took me with her. We were on top of a cliff where I was watching the whales feed in the distance. Suddenly a giant head appeared and swallowed one whole whale and half of another in one bite. I never did see the whole body, just the head and neck. I could tell from just that how truly massive the thing was." Meliodas paused, lost in the memory.

Estarossa watched in minute fascination at the soft look on his brother's face, not sure if the look was wistful at the memory of happier times with their mother, or thoughtful as if looking at the memory with new knowledge that comes only with age.

"I remember," Meliodas continued in a far away tone. "That when it turned and looked at me; I could see the intelligence in its eyes. Then it disappeared below the water. It was believed that I had seen a dragon, no one believed me about the size."

Sighing at his brother's short, concise sentences and formal speech, Estarossa turns his mind to what was being said. First was that dragons could, in fact, grow so large. Second was the mention of their mother, a forbidden topic since her death and from the circumstances surrounding it. Third: "What makes you think that Vesuvius wouldn't exaggerate a story? He goes around telling people that he was saved from an angry Vostel by a singing pink unicorn named Pinkie Pie!"

Laughter.

Estarossa nearly chokes on his own tongue at the unexpected sound of it erupting from his beloved brother. _How long has it been,_ he thinks to himself in stunned disbelief, _since my brother has laughed and smiled so freely?_

The laughter was short lived and ending now, and Meliodas may not have said a word, but the smile still lingers on his face and a light still shines in his eyes that had not been there in a very, very long time.

 _Too long._

Estarossa could not help but smile himself and feel warmth curl inside him at the rare sound and sight. That _he_ had been the one to bring it forth after such a long sleep was an accomplishment that he would not soon forget. _I was the one who did this._ He thought happily. _It was my words, not anyone else's, and it was my presence that Meliodas allowed to be by his side. I was the one that purged the darkness plaguing him and allowed him a moment of freedom._

Truly there was no one in the world who meant more to him then his beloved elder brother.

"So are we going hunting for the dragon then?" Estarossa asked when it became apparent that Meliodas would not say any more on the subject. A pity, he wanted to hear the other's thoughts on the aforementioned pink unicorn.

"Not exactly," Meliodas replied in a more neutral tone then he had been speaking in previously, anger having been evaporated from the short moment of mirth. "Father would not listen to my concerns of the dragon and how one so large came so close to the castle without anyone noticing. He believes that the scouts were negligent and it wandered in through a gap in the patrols."

"And you believe otherwise?"

"Something about this situation is wrong," the blonde said with conviction. "Dragons do not simply just show up to such a populated area out of nowhere. Especially not one so old and wise. I do not know what happened to it, but I believe it was forced here. That is why I am here. I want to know the truth of the situation."

They fell into a pensive silence. While Meliodas' thoughts were on the dragon, Estarossa found himself thinking over his brother's words. What made everyone believe that Meliodas would inherit the throne was not that he was first born, although that did play a large role; it was that he was smart. Really smart. His brother learned things at such a pace and with such ease that he quickly outstripped anyone else.

The smaller blonde was as light as he was dark, selflessness warring with selfishness, pleasure versus duty. The result was a murky gray. Meliodas never saw things as just black or white, completely wrong or right, and his actions reflected that belief. Estarossa had discovered that for everything Meliodas did, he first asked himself a 'why' which revealed whether the means to an end was worth the cost. Furthermore that 'why' allowed him to form his own judgments rather than follow blindly.

There was a reason why Meliodas was the youngest ever General in the army, let alone one of the highest ranked, and his status as crown prince had nothing to do with it.

A soft 'there' startled Estarossa out of his thoughts, and he looked across to where his brother was pointing. Looking closely at the area he tried to see what had caught the other's attention; however, nothing really caught his eye. There were no claw marks on trees, no tracks in the dirt, fallen debris, dung, nothing.

"What are you seeing?" he asked the blonde at his side. "I know I am not the best tracker, but I'm not the worst either, and I don't see anything."

Meliodas gave him a quick 'I expected better from you' look before answering. "Furrows in the ground from claws and dung on the other side of it. It is rather obvious. Do you truly not see it?"

Estarossa looked once again in the direction indicated, trying to spot what the other had described. There was a crevasse in the ground a fair distance away with an open expanse of lowland leading up to it, and it was there he looked closely at the ground to spot any disturbances in the soil that could constitute as a furrow, any lump of black that could be the creature's waste.

A soft sigh and a patiently amused 'Estarossa' brought his attention back to his brother once again. He could not help the shiver of pleasure that ran down his spine at the tone, which brought back so many memories of happier, more carefree days. Days where he was held safe and secure in his brother's arms and a smile played about Meliodas' face, while laughter shone in eyes hidden behind the blonde hair that his little fingers loved to play with.

A smile and eye laughter that now, once again, showed on the elder's face at his apparent cluelessness.

"You are looking at entirely the wrong scale. That big black hill on the other side of the gorge is the dung, and that gorge is the furrows in the ground as it tried to bury it. Also those trees over there," he said turning around to point in the other direction of where they were looking, "were not caused by a landslide but by the creature's body as it walked up the mountain."

"Oh." He said softly as he stared dumbly at the sight, only now did he realize what it was that his brother was talking about. Indeed, he was looking at things in entirely the wrong scale. Staring at the giant pile of dung he had dismissed as a hill barren of trees and a clawed furrow he thought to be a natural gorge in the earth, did he truly comprehend just how massive the creature could be.

"Why are we out here again?" Estarossa asked, becoming mildly apprehensive at the thought of meeting with such a giant beast.

"To gather information and prevent those fools from killing themselves while trying to hunt it. Come; it is close," Meliodas replied as he started off in the direction of the fallen trees.

The warmth that had curled in Estarossa's stomach only moments ago was now replaced with a heavy knot of dread. He could already tell this was not going to end well.

Calling forth their darkness to form wings the brothers took to the air, and could instantly see from a different perspective. On the ground it had looked like a large landslide down one mountain, but in the air the path the dragon took became clear and was easy to follow. Flying along the trail Estarossa took in the scenery below with a newfound knowledge of what he was looking for. Large depressions in the ground became footprints, swaths of trees that had fallen by wind or landslide became where its body or tail had dragged, and caves that dotted the mountainsides became where claws had gripped and grabbed.

It was fascinating to see the sheer scale the beast lived on.

 _Hidden in plain sight_ , Estarossa thought to himself. _Everything one looks for when hunting dragons is there, just many times larger, and because of the size no one sees it._

When he left the castle after his upset brother, Estarossa honestly did not know what to expect from the venture. He had known that if his company was allowed then he would be subject to the General's orders, as this was Meliodas' task not his; yet even still Estarossa so rarely felt like a subordinate to his elder brother. Most of that was due to the blonde's habit of sitting back and allowing others to discuss and debate things without involving himself, just to see what would be thrown out into the conversation, what plans people could come up with, or what actions people would take thinking they had anonymity in a room full of people. It proved to be an excellent tactic as it allowed the General control over a conversation if things got out of hand, the final say about a plan (while allowing the person or persons who created said plan to feel important), or to have blackmail on an individual.

Either way, as they approached the area where the beast lay hiding, the younger demon was becoming increasingly grateful that he would only have to follow his commander's orders and silent cues, since it was becoming more and more apparent that this would be no ordinary dragon. It was only by keeping one eye on the surroundings and the other on his brother did he realize that they had found the dragon they had been looking for, and said dragon was not at all happy.

 _How in the pits did something so large hide so well_? Estarossa thought quickly, diving to the right trying to avoid the angry swipe of large claws. _If Meliodas hadn't seen that_ (here Estarossa had to completely stop thinking as he dodged and weaved through the toes the claws were attached to, and away from the sudden appearance of a yellow-white wall he just _knew_ was a tooth) _we would both be dead._

Estarossa quickly looked around for any more surprises and noticed that Meliodas had disappeared from sight, and that knowledge was not in the least bit comforting to the increasingly distressed demon. Desperately trying to get some room between himself and the giant lizard, Estarossa flew higher wondering how far he would have to go to be even vaguely safe from the claws and teeth that were pursuing him.

Face meet wall.

Sound was the first thing that returned to the stunned demon. Estarossa could hear the angry snarls and growls of a rather pissed off dragon nearby; he could also feel the vibrations as said dragon twisted and clawed around on the rocky slopes. Honestly not at all sure of what just happened, Estarossa lay still, blinking furiously trying to make the world around him stop spinning. Arms closed around his waist and suddenly he was being carried down the mountain, bouncing over a shoulder like a sack full of rags.

Logically Estarossa knew that his brother was carrying him. Logically he knew Meliodas was probably saving his life by doing so. Logic did not stop the momentary sting of wounded pride however, especially when Meliodas landed at his target area and dove them both right in.

Dragon poop. They were both immersed in black, sticky, oozing dragon dung.

Opening his mouth to express his displeasure over the situation, Estarossa suddenly choked as the sludge like substance entered his mouth. Flailing in the sudden need for air Estarossa felt the shoulder below him move and an arm around his waist guiding to where the nearest exit was in the mountain of excrement they were swimming in. Finally breaking free, the silver haired demon promptly stumbled forward to land on all fours and threw up the ooze and what remained of the morning's breakfast. Gasping in an effort to get his breath back, Estarossa looked to the side to see that his brother was still standing in the black mound and was making no effort to leave.

"You may want to get back in here." Meliodas calmly suggested, never taking his eyes off of the spot he was looking at.

With a groan of misery Estarossa climbed to his feet just as the ground started to rumble and little stones began to skip with vibration, briefly shooting the charging oversized lizard a dark look as he dove back into the pile of dung. Leaving his head unburied so he could breathe, Estarossa was finally able to get a good look at the beast that had stopped suddenly (almost comically so for a creature so large) to sniff at the droppings they were hiding in.

It was blue-grey in colour and had protrusions that were a dusty white, allowing it to blend in seamlessly with the snow-topped mountains around. Even if it were to descend into one of the many valleys that littered the area, its sheer size alone would allow it to hide, as anyone that saw it would just assume it was a mountain rising up from a valley of green. Despite the large number of scars that littered its body the creature was in excellent health. Teeth were light yellow but not rotten, breath was bad but not putrid, and muscles rippled beautifully under scales as it circled around their hiding spot, frustrated.

It wasn't any dragon species Estarossa was familiar with. Its body was too round and full for it it be a Tyrant Dragon, which were longer and thinner. Nor was it a Clay Dragon, as those were extremely rotund and had toes made for swimming in dirt and rocks. _This one definitely has claws_ , Estarossa thinks wryly, eyeing the foot that passes by as it paces around. _Long, sharp claws._

Its eyes were what caught Estarossa's attention most. They were a beautiful golden colour, but not solid gold, more like looking at gold jewelry under a clear flowing river. As it lowered its head to get a better look at what its chosen prey was doing, Estarossa could see what Meliodas had mentioned earlier: intelligence. This was no ordinary dragon acting on instinct alone. It was very old and very wise.

' _Ancient One._ ' He could hear Meliodas say in old demonic tongue. _'Not hunters are we, but watchers. Not harm we bring, only curiosity. Creatures of life, safe are they._ '

Even though its beautiful, massive eye was so close, Estarossa could tell that its entire focus was on his elder brother as he continued to offer reassurances of safety and respect. Estarossa was unsure if the dragon understood what was being said, but it did began to calm. Meliodas always did have the unique ability to understand and defuse odd situations. There was no discernible movement in the eye looking at them, but Estarossa knew exactly when it turned its attention on him. Assessing him, trying to see if he was of the same mindset as his brother.

' _Respect to... Ancient-One,_ ' he said, tongue stumbling over known but unfamiliar words, in a known but unused language. ' _Wise Elder speak. Young-One this… learn much by Elder. Learn respect, Ancient-One to_.'

Again Estarossa wasn't sure if it could understand, but he couldn't help but wince as the snort the dragon issued sounded like a huff of laughter at his stumbling attempt at the language he should be fluent in, especially considering that he was the second son of the demon king. How Meliodas could sound so eloquent given the limiting yet complex language of their ancestors, Estarossa didn't know, but he couldn't help but feel like the young child he had just claimed himself to be when speaking the language.

Estarossa watched incredulously as it gave a slow blink before standing to full height, and with a low grumble, turned and walked away. It only went as far as the nearest sun spot showing between a gap in the mountain ridges, before laying down to curl up into a ball, facing in their direction and staring right at the two brothers. In that moment Estarossa could safely say he knew what a prey animal felt like under the gaze of a hungry predator.

The sound of movement had Estarossa remove his eyes from the lounging beast in front to his brother walking out of the dung pile to his right. Catching his gaze Meliodas simply says: "Come; we need a bath," before turning to walk down toward the lowland below.

A true enough statement but not his biggest concern at the moment. "The dragon?"

"She will not attack." Meliodas did not even stop to see the validity of that statement. To him, it was simply a truth that was not to be questioned.

"She?" Now Meliodas turned around to give him another 'I expected better of you' look; however the look was rather ruined by the black sludge that covered the not-so-blonde demon. Meliodas did not say anything and simply turned back around to continue his trek to the nearest water source. With another glance back at the dragon, who still hadn't moved, Estarossa waded out of the dung to follow his brother down the mountainside.

It was really nerve-wracking walking out in the open as a giant predator _stared them down_. So much so that Estarossa couldn't help but keep looking over his shoulder at the dragon lounging in the midday sun. A shiver ran down his spine at her unwavering gaze, and Estarossa averted his gaze back to his brother walking confidently before him.

Another shiver shook his body, only this one had nothing to do with the dragon at his back and more to do with the glob of oozing dung that slid under the collar of his tunic and down his spine. Discomfort finally setting in over his current state of hygiene, Estarossa broke down to ask: "Can't we fly down to the river? It would be faster."

"No." Meliodas answered, never breaking his stride. "It was flying that upset her. We walk."

That was both an expected and unexpected answer all at once.

"How do you know it was the flying that set her off? It could have been our sudden appearance, couldn't it?" Estarossa asked both from curiosity and from the need to distract his mind from the dragon at their back, and from the black ooze that was hardening in the heat of the sun, making it increasingly difficult to move properly.

"Her movement." The elder demon replied, short answer and tone indicating that his mind was elsewhere. It really was useless to try and get Meliodas to hold a conversation when he was like this. His mind was running through the memories of what had just happened and was no doubt asking all the 'why's' that made him such a brilliant tactician and general.

Estarossa left him to it. The General would share his musings later, but for now the younger demon would take solace in the fact his brother felt comfortable enough to let his mind wander. Something he would never do if he felt danger was nearby.

The sun was high in the sky by the time they made it off the mountain and down to the strath below. The river that the brothers approached was wide but shallow, the water was moving at a brisk pace but not dangerously fast. It was very cold however, being made from snowmelt.

Estarossa eyed his brother sitting naked on the shore, pants and boots spread out next to him drying. His white long-coat was a complete loss, so the elder demon did not even bother trying to wash the stained garment. Cleaning skin and hair had been easy, cleaning clothes not so much. Especially since the dung had completely petrified by the time they had gotten to the river.

"It is strange that a nonviolent dragon such as she would be here." Meliodas said breaking the long silence. "She was clearly forced to come, the question is by whom or what, and why."

"You call her attacking us out of nowhere 'nonviolent'?" Estarossa asked in disbelief, as he lay out his own damp clothing on the stony shore before walking up to where the elder sat. Meliodas opened his mouth to reply before his black eyes shifted behind where Estarossa stood and an expression Estarossa had never seen before crossed his face.

Black eyes widened and jaw dropped open. Stunned. His ever calm and collected brother was stunned, and showing it.

"Vostel," Meliodas whispered in disbelief.

Estarossa whirled around and froze, his own jaw dropping in at the sight of the legendary firebird. A giant firebird that was comparable in size to the dragon they had left behind. A bird that was opening its mouth to shoot fire at them.

Meliodas was the first to react to the approaching threat. Leaping to his feet then forward to his stunned brother in one smooth motion, he grabbed hold of Estarossa's wrist and pulled. "MOVE!" he yelled in an attempt at waking the younger demon from his stupor. Coming back to himself with a blink, Estarossa started moving under his own power.

The two brothers dodged to the left behind a rock, just as molten lava landed where they had been standing only a breath ago. The bird flew overhead with a hot _whoosh_ of air in its wake, flapping its flaming wings to gain altitude so it could circle around for another attack.

"What now?" Estarossa asked his commander, blinking through the smoke and steam combination that choked the air from the suddenly evaporated river and now burning trees that once dotted the valley landscape.

"Slow to turn, too big to manoeuvre easily in current surroundings, lots to burn with trees, fire hot enough to melt rock." Meliodas fired off information as quick as he could while his eyes take in the surrounding area, trying to come up with some sort of plan to get out of their current situation, at the same time trying to see if anything nearby set the Vostel into attacking them. A small shimmer of light hitting metal on a distant mountain cliff caught Meliodas' eye for a moment, before the vibrations of the ground became impossible to ignore.

With a roar the dragon lunged into view and off the nearby escarpment. For a single moment she hung suspended in the air like an ungainly butterfly trying to fly for the first time, then the moment passed; and it dropped!

The shockwave was horrendous. Trees that had been burning were uprooted and sent flying from the impact, little sparks and flaming bits of shrapnel were raining down among them. Rocks glowed red with heat, some already melting into slag. The earth shook so hard it felt like it was jumping up and down, over and over again without pause. The peaceful little valley nestled safely in the shadows of ragged mountains had become a cataclysmic battle ground between two ancient titans.

Most of this was lost to Estarossa as he kept his eyes closed and lay sideways on the ground, curled up into a ball with arms over his head covering his ears trying to block out the sound, knees pressing up against his chest. Every now and then the earth below would shift and Estarossa could feel himself slide with every rumble and jump, skin scraping against heated rock.

Eventually it became apparent to Estarossa's mind that he was not yet dead, and not wanting to but knowing he must, opened his eyes. Red was the first thing that registered. Everything was painted with red tones from the burning foliage and glowing rocks, even his own naked skin was flushed red from heat. A weight was pressing down on him making it difficult to breathe, so he moved his arms a bit and tilted his head to look.

He was not really surprised to find that his brother had thrown himself over his body or that he had unleashed his darkness to help protect them. Instead Estarossa was relieved to see that the one person he loved and trusted above any other was here in this freshly made apocalypse with him. Estarossa was not ashamed to lower trembling arms and wrap them around his elder brother's waist, nor was he embarrassed to press his face against Meliodas' neck, and the quiet "I'm scared," he whispered was nothing more than simple truth.

A gentle hand wove through red-tinted grey hair, and strong arms embraced the trembling younger demon. "I know," Meliodas whispered back, voice barely audible over the snap-pop of fire, dragon snarl, and Vostel shriek. "I am here with you, and we _will_ get through this! Be strong for just a little longer, can you do that?"

Meliodas' voice was like a soothing balm for Estarossa's much frazzled nerves. Clinging tightly to his brother, the younger demon took one deep breath then another, before pulling back and nodding firmly. "Good. Come; we need to move."

One final deep breath to mentally prepare himself for what was about to happen and, never letting go of his brother's hand, Estarossa rose shakily to his feet. Only for the both of them to fall over as the ground suddenly shook from the impact of the dragon falling on its side as the Vostel rammed into it. She landed so close that had they wanted to the two demons could have reached out to touch her. (Estarossa didn't want to, he really, really didn't.)

Realizing the urgency of the situation the brothers scrambled to their feet just as the Vostel launched another molten lava attack at the dragon, and consequently, at the boys themselves. Meliodas' face hardened in determination at the attack and with a quick gesture a perfect cube appeared between them and the encroaching magma. A loud hiss sounded as the magma hit the wall and a pinched look appeared in his eyes as Meliodas stood with his arm and fingers frozen in summoning position, pouring all his considerable magic into maintaining the barrier.

"Estarossa, get ready to run." Meliodas panted out, arm beginning to shake from the strain.

Estarossa eyed his surroundings wearily: there was liquid fire on either side, a giant dragon climbing to its feet behind and a giant firebird in front. "Run where exactly?"

"To the dragon, climb up on her." Strain was apparent in Meliodas' voice.

"WHAT?!"

The barrier dropped and Estarossa didn't even think, he just ran. Too soon for his liking he had reached the dragon and, as per his commander's instructions, grabbed hold of her scales to climb up. It was unsurprisingly difficult trying to climb a giant moving dragon in the middle of a, quite literally, heated battle _while completely naked_. Looking back Estarossa would never be able to describe how exactly he had managed to get onto the dragon's back to hide behind a bony protrusion, but somehow he managed.

Estarossa felt a cold breeze chill his body in contrast to the searing hot flames that were cooking him not moments ago. The large body below shook as she resumed battle with her ancient rival, causing Estarossa to cling tighter in a white knuckled grip to the firm plate, trying to keep his feet under him. Twisting his head slightly Estarossa caught sight of his brother not too far away, lying on his stomach covered in his darkness holding on to another protrusion a little further down, staring intently at something off in the distance.

He wanted to hit himself for not realizing sooner. Laying down meant not having to worry about falling down, and his innate darkness would help protect against the earlier heat and the sharp dragon scales. Shame and embarrassment flooded through the younger demon, as he once again felt his inexperience and youth keenly.

Just as Estarossa finished mirroring his brother's position, the elder demon rose to his hands and knees crawling his way up the giant beast. Black eyes assessed the younger demon thoroughly. "Are you alright?"

Flushing at the memory of his earlier actions and words Estarossa gave a firm nod. "I apologise for my earlier behaviour. It was unacceptable of me. It will not happen again," he said using the formal words and short concise sentences that his brother so favoured, hoping that it might encourage the General to forgive his meltdown. The hard look that flashed through his commander's eyes suggested otherwise however.

"Do not _ever_ apologise for feeling emotions," Meliodas started, voice hard with anger. "Because when you do you apologise for the truth," he finished, voice tapering off into something else. Something Estarossa could not read, but instinctively knew reached someplace deep and touched a truth not yet understood. "That aside, there are Goddesses on the far mountain somehow controlling the Vostel. Stay; I will ask Sharvi to take us closer."

Furrowing his brow at the unexpected demonic word that seems totally out of place at present, Estarossa mouthed 'sharvi' in silent question.

Meliodas patted the back below fondly. "Her name, I thought it fitting."

Estarossa stared in mute disbelief at the elder demon crawling his way up to the dragon's head. Only Meliodas would name the largest dragon Estarossa had ever seen, who was currently doing battle with the largest bird he had ever seen, 'Silent Guardian'.

The dragon let out a large bellow that had Estarossa cringing at the volume before she lunged forward as if to bite at the Vostel, only instead to whirl around quickly and smack it into the nearest rock wall with her long tail. Another turn and the dragon (Estarossa refuses to call the thing Sharvi) sank its teeth into a fire-feathery wing. The following shriek of pain was deafening. The dragon whipped its body and head to the side letting go of the wing and the Vostel was thrown from the sheer force of momentum into another mountain further away, and coincidentally toward the outcrop his brother was looking at earlier.

Estarossa could honestly say that he was impressed with her actions. No longer would he doubt her intelligence, for clearly this dragon was no simple beast. _Perhaps she should have a name, she is clearly smart enough to deserve one_ , he thought to himself as he watched Meliodas move into a crouching position, once again mirroring his brother's stance.

Lunging forward once again the dragon opened her mouth to go for another bite. Shifting her body to the side brought the brothers to a tiny ledge jutting out from the rock wall. Seeing his brother jump on, and thus doing so himself, Estarossa found that, for the first time today, they are outside of battle and were now able to look upon those fighting. It came as no surprise that such giant titans would cause such a giant mess of the area that had become the battlefield.

Estarossa did not get much time to observe the two combatants before having to turn and follow his elder brother up the ledge, or risk being left behind. "So what's the plan? We do battle with the goddesses naked?" he asked his commander.

"If you want your clothing then go get it," Meliodas replied stoically.

Estarossa didn't even feel tempted to look back to see what fate befell their clothes, it simply wasn't worth the headache. _It would be nice to have my boots though_ , he thought to himself, wincing at the sharp stone that tried to pierce his foot, before a thought occurs to him. Looking closely at his brother's feet he sees that yes, Meliodas had indeed covered the soles of his feet in darkness and was forgoing modesty for function in the form of a wicked claw over his left hand. Sheepishly Estarossa followed suit and calls his darkness to his will.

The rest of the journey to where the goddesses are hiding was made in silence between the brothers; however the sounds of battle rang loudly through the air and occasionally shook the ground.

"Where did those two demons get to?" they heard one of the goddesses ask.

"Probably killed by either the phoenix or the Iftel. I wouldn't worry about them," answered another, voice coming right from below.

Estarossa's brow rose both impressed that his brother had managed to give them the high ground, and amused by the belief that they were killed so easily. Mentally he dubbed the speaker Clueless.

"I don't know," a third said. "One of them looked like the General." She would be called Careful.

Clueless scoffed. "If that's true then we'll be heroes for killing a monster who wasn't so tough after all."

Now Meliodas rose a brow, catching Estarossa's eye he gave silent hand motions. The younger demon nodded agreeing to the plan.

"I don't know," Careful started to protest, obviously smarter than the other two with her. "It doesn't seem right for such a powerful demon to be killed so easily."

"You worry too much." Clueless dismissed carelessly.

"Enough you two! It doesn't matter if they're dead or not, either way the Iftel will soon be driven right to the demon's castle and our mission will be complete. I for one am looking forward to getting out of this unending nightmare of rocks, so shut that hole on your faces," the first one snapped, clearly the leader of the team.

It was just as the other two were muttering 'sorry' that Meliodas attacked, using his shadowy claw. He gave no warning and just suddenly jumped down into their midst, aiming for the kill. For all that he appeared flashy, Meliodas was actually horribly pragmatic.

The expected surprised shouts erupted followed by general sounds of battle, but Estarossa paid it no mind; he had a more important task then watching his seasoned brother battle.

One of the goddesses took flight, clutching something in her hand. Now it was Estarossa's turn to attack.

Much like the Vostel had done to the dragon earlier, Estarossa quickly rammed into her side throwing her ascent into a freefall, his arms coming up to grasp her wrists to both contain her and so she couldn't discard what she was carrying. Plunging towards the ground the larger demon made sure that the goddess was underneath so that she could take the brunt of the fall. The drop wasn't too large, but it was still enough that when they landed, there was an audible snap of the goddess' wings breaking. Estarossa watched as the goddess arched her back into a beautiful bend and a scream ripped through the air, joining with Vostel shriek and dragon snarl, but not with her now dead companions.

"Filthy demon!" she spat, glaring up at him, tugging at her wrists which were captured by his hands and bucking her hips which was pinned by his own. She would not be escaping.

From her voice he could tell that this was Careful he had captured. He would enjoy breaking her. With a smirk Estarossa tightened his hold on her wrists until another snap was heard, but this time it wasn't followed by a scream. _A shame, but down to business_. Estarossa mused. "Now how would a goddess use a Vostel to attack a dragon?"

"A what?"

Losing what was left of his patience Estarossa shook Careful hard. He was having an awful day and this wench was proving to be a tempting target to release his frustrations. "The Vostel, girl, how are you controlling it?"

Wincing in pain Careful cried out, "I don't know what you're talking about, what's a vostel?"

Taking a deep breath Estarossa tried to reign in his temper. He wouldn't get anything out of the girl if he accidentally killed her by snapping her neck. So with a false patience he explained. "See that giant firebird over there? That is what the educated call a Vostel."

"The phoenix?" Careful asked, clearly confused over a simple concept like a name.

"I don't give a damn what it's called. Phoenix, Vostel, call it Ho-Oh for all I care! How are you controlling it?" Estarossa snapped, once again losing his patience with the obtuse goddess.

"A whistle."

Both Estarossa and the goddess turn their heads to look at the one who spoke. The goddess squeaked in surprise and Estarossa felt all his hearts skip a beat at the scene in front of him.

Meliodas was walking towards them calmly, bathed in a beam of afternoon sunlight causing his hair to glow a beautiful gold with his face cast in shadow. He was completely nude, save for the blood splatters on his chest which only served to highlight his chiseled muscles, and darkness that wrapped around his waist and down his right leg preserving his modesty. It was a beautiful contrast of light and dark all at once.

Truly there was no other being more beautiful than his brother.

"It is Vostel mating season and the item in your hand is a whistle that sounds like a female," Meliodas continued, unperturbed at the starring.

The goddess, after a few false starts, got her tongue working enough to squeak out, "You're naked."

Meliodas simply cocked his head to the side before looking in inquiry at his sibling. "She's a bit dense," Estarossa explained with a shrug.

"You're the General, and you're naked," Careful continued, proving the grey haired demon right with every word. After all, she hadn't even noticed that the demon above her was naked too.

Meliodas gave a hum of agreement before kneeling down to pry the whistle out of swollen, pale hands, wrists still trapped in Estarossa's grip. Turning to face the battling titans he called out in ancient demon tongue. " _Sharvi. Aid This One brings, of sounds_." With that warning Meliodas puts the whistle to his mouth and blows.

Estarossa couldn't help but cringe at the awful noise that erupted from the bit of metal and wood. _The male shriek was bad enough but if that's what the female sounds like then I never want to meet one_.

The Vostel, distracted by the noise, turned its head to look for the female that it had been persuing. Using that moment of distraction the dragon went straight for the jugular before snapping her mouth closed and shaking her head viciously back and forth. Everyone watching could see the exact moment of when the Vostel died by the sudden limpness of its body.

"No," Clueless whimpered as she stopped her futile struggles, knowing that everything she had worked for was gone and that she had failed.

The dragon dropped the Vostel carcass to the ground and roared her triumph to the sky. It caused Estarossa to once again wince at the noise before everything suddenly went quiet, the distant snap-pop of fire being the only sound remaining.

Meliodas was the one who broke the silence after eyeing the broken goddess before him. "You lured the Vostel into attacking Sharvi to drive her toward the demon castle where we would battle her. After that was done you would then lure the Vostel to the castle to begin the second wave of battle. Both creatures would cause untold damage before you goddesses would follow behind to kill any survivors."

"That was the plan," she whispered defeated. "What will you do with me now?"

The ground rumbled as the dragon moved towards the three beings hidden in the mountain's shadow, none of whom reacted to her approach save for Meliodas who simply lifted his head to look at her.

"It is Sharvi who has suffered most under your actions," Meliodas began addressing the goddess but not removing his gaze from the giant before him. "It is she who will decide your punishment." Turning his gaze to the younger demon Meliodas nodded a signal to let the goddess go. Estarossa did so, standing up and backing up to stand beside the smaller blonde.

Careful scrambled quickly to her feet, wincing in pain from her broken wings. Looking at the two demons with wide eyes she squeaked in surprise. "Oh! You're naked too," she managed to get out before a claw came down to impale her into a bloody mess due to its size.

Estarossa's brows shot up in surprise at how accurate Sharvi (at this point he was resigned to the insanity of the day) was with her aim; her giant claw never came close to the two brothers despite their proximity to the goddess. "Nice," he complimented her, not wanting to embarrass himself again by switching languages.

Meliodas stepped forward just as Sharvi lowered her head. "Yes. She is."

"So what do we do now?" Estarossa asked his elder brother, watching him stroke her snout fondly. "I doubt you want Sharvi dead, but her proximity to the castle means hunters will be sent after her."

"I will not allow her to be hunted, she is now under my protection. Sharvi will stay here and guard the mountains from any further attacks from goddesses. She will also keep any younger dragons from approaching the area."

Watching Meliodas scratch her muzzle and recite a protection spell in demon tongue, Estarossa couldn't help but wonder what change this event wrought and what the future would bring. Or what the others would think when they returned to the castle and told their odd tale.

One thing still bothered him though. "Is Iftel the goddess term for dragon?"

Black eyes laughed at him through blonde hair. "It is the word for 'giant reptile' in demonic tongue too. You need to practise tongues, Estarossa." Meliodas chided gently.

"Clearly I do."

~.~.~

They had made it home to the castle and promptly gone for a proper bath. Now clean and dressed Meliodas had gone to report to the King, while Estarossa had gone to the tavern in desperate need of a drink and so he could share his tale. He did not however, expect everyone to laugh at his tale of insanity, although in retrospect he probably should have.

"I'm telling the truth," Estarossa protested over the sound of laughter, sighing in frustration.

"Sure Estarossa, we believe you. Now tell us again how you ended up swimming in dragon dung." One demon off to his right laughed, not sincere at all in his words of belief.

Clenching his teeth in frustration Estarossa glared at the surrounding demons in the building all laughing right alongside with the first, before a head of blonde catches his eye. "Meliodas," he calls out trying to catch his brother's attention, wanting some backup. "Tell them about how large Sharvi is."

The tavern went quiet at both the sight of the General and in anticipation of his words.

Meliodas halted his journey to the barkeep to eye the demons waiting on what he would say. His words would be taken as truth no matter how ludicrous they sounded. "The dragon was larger than expected," he confirmed simply before continuing to get his drink.

Various whispers and laughs broke out while Estarossa groaned in dismay, smacking his head down onto the table. A chuckle and clink of a stein hitting table emerged from his left so he turned his head to look.

"Nice try lad, but the General is too smart to end up trapped in gossip like this. His simple way of speaking works too much in his favour here," Vesuvius cheerfully said with an understanding look in his eye.

Eyeing the seasoned warrior with a suspicious look, Estarossa admitted defeat and surrendered to his curiosity. "How often do you see that unicorn of yours?"

"Every year," Vesuvius admits with a heavy, dismayed sigh. "I don't know how the cursed beast found out I was born three days after summer solstice, but she did. And now she comes every year on my birthing day to sing. At least your dragon has a decent name."

"That is because I named her, whereas you did not have a choice with your beast," Meliodas says, approaching the table with a stein in hand. "Insane does not even begin to describe that horse. If you ever see it; run!"

From the tone Estarossa could tell just how much his brother meant those words. "To insanity then," he said raising his stein to clink against the other two, before taking a swig.

* * *

End

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